Putting stroke grooving aid

ABSTRACT

A light weight and portable device that provides a 4¼ inches wide (equal to the size of golf putting hole), and seven to eight feet long explicit field of vision to help golfers to groove their putting strokes so that the golf ball stays within the cords. The device includes two. light holders, and each holder has two small eyebolts spaced at a distance of 4¼ inches . Two equal length cord/stings are attached to the eyebolts to form a view of a virtual putting fairway 4¼ inches wide. Golfers practice to develop putting strokes to keep golf balls within these two cords/strings, and roll balls into the cup.

FIELD OF INVENTION

[0001] The present invention relates to a device that provides to golfers a field of vision for a virtual putting fairway 4¼ inches wide. It provides feed back in real time on the accuracy and the quality of the putting stroke.

[0002] The game of golf can be divided in three sets of skills, namely drives, short game, and putting. Drives and short game are generally played through preferably from areas called fairways. Widths of these so-called fairways could be measured in yards, and one can get a reasonably clear vision of a fairway from cut grass. So golfers know the desired boundaries within which they would like their golf balls to stay. So when they go out on the practice range to practice for drives, they try for distance, and a narrow dispersion of the golf balls within the limits of the fairways.

[0003] There are no such clear visionary boundaries on the putting surfaces. And when golfers practice for putting they don't have such fairway boundaries to guide their putting strokes. Putting strokes that would give them the desired roll of the golf balls into the putting cup.

[0004] On fairways, golfers think of distances in terms of yards, whereas on the putting green they think of distance of the golf ball from the putting cup in terms of feet and inches. Rarely golfers think in terms of width or out of bounds on the putting surface or green. I believe golfers, in order to improve or further improve their putting game, need to think in terms of putting fairway width instead of just looking at whole putting surface. I call this visualization of putting fairway, a virtual fairway of putting. And unlike fairways which have varying widths measured in yards, my suggested virtual putting fairways have fixed width equal to the diameter of USGA (United States Golf Association) legal size cup, 4¼ inches.

[0005] The device of the present invention, when used as suggested, provides aid to the vision gray cells, and muscle memory to recall these boundaries of the virtual putting fairway when putting.

DESCRIPTION OF THE PRIOR ART.

[0006] There are many golf game practice devices to improve golfers' club swing and putting stroke. Some known arts in this field include U.S. Pat. No. 3,572,720, U.S. Pat. No. 3,885,796, U.S. Pat. No. 3,934,874, U.S. Pat. No. 5,131,659, and U.S. Pat. No. 6,019,685. The device of the present invention to aid in grooving putting strokes departs from these by its ability to provide a vision of the virtual fairway, and with practice engrain in vision gray cells, and muscle memory virtual fairway width equal to the size of the putting cup diameter.

[0007] It is light, and easily foldable into a small package to store into one of the pockets of a golf bag without adding any appreciably bulk and weight. This design feature of the present invention device makes it possible that it can be carried in golf bags just like other essentials of the golf game like golf clubs, golf balls, golf glove, golf shoes, tees, towel etc. So when one goes to play or practice, one has the device of the present invention with him or her.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0008]FIG. 1 is a view of the putting stroke grooving aid of the present invention laid out on a practice-putting surface.

[0009]FIG. 2 is a perspective view of the device of the present invention.

[0010]FIG. 3 is an end-view of the present invention device.

[0011]FIG. 4 shows how a present invention device could be folded into a small package.

[0012]FIG. 5 shows a golf bag into which a folded present invention device could be stored, and carried.

[0013] Referring to numerical on the Figures, FIG. 1 shows the embodiment of the putting stroke grooving aid and how it would be used on a practice putting surface or green. Reference number 1 applies to the present invention device or aid. 2 is the putting surface. 3 is the holder. And there are two of them. The holders could be made from metal, plastic or wood with no sharp edges. 4 is cord/string. And there are two of them Material for the cord/string could be synthetic fiber, natural fiber or even metal. These two cords/strings, 4, are attached to two holders, 3. Attachment could take many ways, however in the Figures attachments have been shown with four small eyebolts, 5. These eyebolts have been positioned at a spacing equal to the diameter of USGA legal size cup 6, which presently is 4¼ inches. Cords/strings 4 ends are tied to the eyebolts 5 so that when lightly pulled, holders 3, and cords/string form a rectangle, and cords/string 4 are running parallel to each other. 7 is a golf ball, and 8 is the putter head.

[0014] In FIG. 2, a perspective of the present invention device 1, 3 are two holders. 4 are two cords/strings attached to holders 3. 5 are four small eyebolts.

[0015]FIG. 3 is an end-view of the present invention device 1. 2 is the practice putting surface. 3 are the two holders. 4 are the two cords/strings. 5 are the four small eyebolts or other attachment device spaced at 4¼ inches, equal to the diameter of current USGA legal size putting cup.

[0016]FIG. 4 is the present invention device 1 folded into a small storable size. 3 are two holders. 4 are two cord/strings. 5 are four small eyebolts or some other attachment.

[0017]FIG. 5 is any of the off-the-shelf golf bag 9. 10 is one of its zipper pocket into which the putting stroke grooving device 1 could be carried.

[0018] The device of the present invention could be used at home, office or any other practice putting green surface. FIG. 1 shows one usage approach of the present invention device 1 on a practice green on a golf course.

[0019] A golfer would lay the present invention device 1 on the putting surface 2. One of the holders 3 would be placed a few inches beyond the hole/cup 6. The second holder 3 would be placed on the side from which a golfer would be putting. This holder 3 would be pulled lightly to keep cord/string 4 parallel, and touching the outer edges of the cup 6 forming a virtual putting fairway of 4¼ inches wide.

[0020] A golf ball 7 would be placed in between the cord/string 4, which are 4¼ inches apart. In a grooved or correct putting stroke the putter head 8 would impart speed and direction to the golf ball 7 so that it would run parallel to the cords/strings 4 and drop into the cup 6. If the stroke is such that the ball 7 does run parallel to the cords/strings 4 there is a real time feed back on the roll of the ball 7. If the stroke results in ball 7 touching the cord/string 4, then the feed back is that stroke executed would have resulted, most likely, in a missed putt on a straight lie.

[0021] For successful putting stroke a golfer is looking for a stroke which gives him/her putter face 8 contact perpendicular to the roll direction. So one part of the grooving is to acquire muscle memories that result in putter face 8 contact with the golf ball 7 perpendicular to the roll direction.

[0022] The second part of the putting stroke grooving is the speed of the golf ball 7. There is nothing more frustrating to a golfer than to see, in a short putt (say a distance of 4 to 6 feet), the ball 7 roll correctly towards the hole/cup 6, and stop just short and not drop into the cup 6.

[0023] By its very design, cords/string 4 could be of any length, as long as they are of equal length. However for practical purposes, such as portability and set up, a length of seven to eight feet has been suggested for the device of the present invention. As mentioned earlier, one holder 3 would be placed a few inches (say three inches) on the other of the hole 6, and allowing for back swing of say nine inches, a seven feet long device 1 of the present invention would leave a length of six feet to practice from. With this in mind a golfer may choose to groove his/her putting stroke from various distances within the limits of the holders 3.

[0024] To challenge golfers, putting surfaces are often, contoured to break left or right instead of letting ball roll straight. Since cords 4 are flexible, the device 1 of the present invention could be set up to practice on a breaking surface.

[0025] Index To Numbers on the Figures.

[0026]1 The present invention device Putting Stroke Grooving Device.

[0027]2 The putting surface

[0028]3 Holders (two of them per device)

[0029]4 Cords (two of them per device)

[0030]5 Eyebolt (four of them per device)

[0031]6 Putting cup or hole.

[0032]7 A golf ball

[0033]8 A putter head

[0034]9 A golf bag

[0035]10 A zipped pocket in golf bag. 

I claim:
 1. A real time feed back device to groove putting stroke comprising of a. two light holders about 6 inches long b. four light attaching devices, spaced 4¼ inches, two each on each holder c. two cords/string of equal length d. length of cord/string, theoretically could be of any length, e. when laid on a putting surface in a rectangular shape, cords/stings provide an imagery of virtual putting fairway having width equal to size of the diameter of the putting cup f. distance between the two holders provides benchmarks to develop strokes feel for varying putting distances
 2. The invention of the claim 1 has ease of usability for both right-handed and left-handed golfers to use for practice without making changes to the layout when practicing together.
 3. The invention of claims 1 and 2 has portability. Light weight and ease with which the device of the present invention can be folded into a small package makes it highly portable. 